What’s On: London’s Best Free and Affordable Family Events
Barbican Shakespeare Weekender: Drop in and spend the day watching performances, take part in stage fight demonstrations, make t-shirts, poetry workshops, karaoke.
King’s Place Festival of Contemporary Music for All: Come and take part in a variety of workshops for voice and instruments (come provided or bring your own). Various workshops Saturday, 3:30, ticket £4.50 for each workshop. Workshops ages 8+
Cadogan Hall, Southbank Sinfonia Family Concert: Bring the kids for a delightfully entertaining family concert. Saturday, from 11am. Kids £6.50, adults £10, family £28
Beaufort House, An Evening with Martin Johnson, CBE, Friday 11th March: The night before the England vs Wales match, join Martin Johnson and raise money for the LOROS Hospice and SCOPE. Tickets include welcome cocktails, canapés and the chance to win fabulous auction prizes including a week in Phuket, diamonds, hotel stays, dinners and more.
Waterloo Mini Vault Festival, Under the Sea Party: Bring the kids to a musical carnival including live performances, hula hooping and a kazoo orchestra. Saturday 11am-2pm, tickets £14 adults, £10, babies free.
Wallace Collection, The Little Draw: Join Paul Westcome for an art workshop focused on investigating items from the collection and create something to take home. Sunday 1:30-4:30pm, free, all ages.
National Gallery, Figuring Form: Come and explore the paintings in the National Gallery and then make your very own 3D figure using wire, wax and mod roc. Free, ages 5-12, tickets allocated on arrival, 11-1pm and then 2-4pm.
Le Institue Francais, Digital Club, 6+: Head over to South Kensington and bring the kids to the Game Lab for video games. Free, French and English, Saturday 2:30.
Unicorn Theatre, Up Club and Up Club: Make magic noodles, head over on Saturday mornings for a free art session. This Saturday, noon-2pm, age 3+, drop-in.
Family Performance This Weekend:
Half Moon Theatre, Need a Little Help Thursday 3rd-Saturday 5th. Joe and Ella are a great team, what happens when Joe gets tangled up and Ell has to do things alone? Ages 3-7, £6.50 (children under 18 months can site on an adult’s lap free of charge)
Lyric Hammersmith, The Real Mermaid Tale : Saturday 5th, 11am and 1pm, ages 3-8, £8. An exciting adventure on the high seas with pirates, monstrous sea creatures and mermaid treasure.
Puppet Theatre Barge, Joey’s Fireworks: Head over to London’s most enchanting theatre for a beautiful tale filled with humour. Saturday 11am and 3pm; Sunday 3pm. Adults £10, children £8.50. Check out my review and pub recommendation here
Unicorn Theatre, Jeramee, Hartleby and Oooglemore : London’s very own children’s theatre. This weekend: Jeramy, Hartleby and Oooglemore for ages 3+. London’s best children’s theatre, never disappointing.
Little Angel Theatre,Rumpelstiltskin : Beautiful puppetry, live music, captivating storytelling. Saturday 11am, 2pm. Sunday 11am (all age performance) and 2pm. Suitable for age 5-8; £10 adults, £8 children.
Babies and Toddlers
Postparty: Fitness and Fun for Bump, Baby and Beyond: Join Postparty online fitness instruction for 3 months free (offer good for 6 weeks). Use it at home, with or without the kids, in the office, on the go - your personal fitness instructor.
Monkey Music’s Spring Spectacular Workshop Saturday 5th March Cineworld Cinema, 142 Fulham Road, SW10 9QR
You are invited to Monkey and Mo’s Spring Spectacular Workshop with Dawn and Jayne. Come along and sing, dance and join in with your favourite songs from Monkey Music! Come and take part in these popular Saturday workshops, aimed as a lovely weekend treat for everyone, it’s Mother’s Day weekend too! Everyone’s welcome, especially those who may miss out during the week, mummies or daddies (loads of daddies love to come along), grandparents or nannies. Workshop times
9.30am Jiggety-Jig 2&3 yrs
10.15am Heigh-Ho Toddlers from 12 months
11.00am Heigh-Ho Toddlers from 12 months
11.45am Rock’n’Roll Babies from 3 months
How to book - All classes to be paid for in advance please.
£20 per child attending, including siblings
Spaces literally sell out within a day or two so call us to reserve your spot on 020 8767 9827 or email [email protected]
National Gallery, Welcome Wednesdays: Bring the paintings to life with music, storytelling, art and messy play for the littlest ones. Wednesdays, 10:30-11:10am.
The British Museum, Little Feet: A morning of music and marching for under 5s and their parents and carers. Wednesday 16th, 10:30-noon, free and drop-in.
Royal Albert Hall, Storytelling and Music Sessions: Could you think of a more stately venue to introduce 0-4 year olds to music, movement and storytelling? Join seasoned storytellers Paul Rubinstein, Olivia Armstrong and Becky Dixon to this fabulous, hands-on, musical storytelling session. Wednesdays, 10 am and 11:30, tickets just £5.
Pippa’s Poppets, Pippa Cleary, founder of Pippa’s Poppets is an award-winning composer who has written songs for CBeebies, National Youth Theatre, Stagecoach along with several award-winning musicals. Pippa’s Poppets include homemade drums, click sticks and shakers. Venues include Mondays and Thursdays in Pimlico; Tuesdays at St. Columba’s Knightsbridge; Thursdays at Christchurch Chelsea; Fridays at Bumpkin South Kensington.
Pimlico Toy Library: Pimlico Toy Library has a new web site showcasing all their wonderful children’s workshops and baby playtimes. This is a fantastic resource for any parent or carer, the toys are fastidiously cleaned and the art workshops are brilliantly planned with high quality materials
Electric Cinema, Electric Scream: Mondays, 11:00. This week’s feature:Hail, Caesar. Bring babies under 12 months to this amazingly plush cinema, relax with some coffee and catch a flick.
Clapham Picturehouse, Big Scream: Head to Clapham and see Hail, Caesar and Secret in Their Eyes. Sundays and Thursdays 10:30, £7.50.
Ritzy, Brixton, Big Scream: Fridays, 11am, £7.50. This week’s features: Hail, Caesar, Hitchcock/Truffaut.
Rich Mix, Parents and Babies: Hail, Caesar! Monday 29th February, £6, 11:40
Family Cinema
Regent Street Cinema, Ernest and Celestine: Two unlikely companions in the shape of a mouse and a bear, who should really be enemies but deliver instead a humble and charming take of friendship. Saturday, 10:30am, just £1.75.
BFI Families: Frozen, Saturday and Kung Fu Panda, Sunday. £4 for kids, - £11.75 for grown-ups.
Le Institute Francais, Inside Out (In French) : Saturday, 2pm, ages 4+. Bring the kids to watch Inside Out in French. Tickets £5 each.
Framed Film Club: Head to the Barbican for the Framed Film Club, this week’s feature: Inside Out (in English). Saturday 11am.
Curzon Cinema, Victoria: This week’s programme, Capture the Flag. Saturday and Sunday, 10:30. £3.50 per person.
Gate Picturehouse, Kids Club: This week’s programme:The Jungle Book 1967, tickets just £1 with £4 membership, popcorn and juice £2. (best £3 you will ever spend on a rainy Saturday)
Bloomsbury Curzon: 10:30 Saturday, this week’s screening is Capture the Flag, £3.00 per person.
Ritzy, Brixton, Kids’ Club: Saturdays, 10:30am. £1.50. This week’s feature: The Jungle Book.
Electric Cinema, Kid’s Club: This week’s feature, The Good Dinosaur, 9:30am. Check out the Electric Cinema with its plush, red velvet beds, sofas and armchairs. Looks like a great way for Dad to occupy the kids on a Saturday morning.
